Bristol County Sheriff responds to ICE accusation

Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux was called out by ICE Boston in an X post on Thursday, July 2 for refusing to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement orders. 

“I’m just not going to help them with their job because when they do their job, they’re routinely violating the civil rights of the people who they are arresting,” said Heroux. 

The post stated that the Bristol County House of Corrections released a “dangerous criminal” out onto the streets. 

“What’s worse than just being unprofessional, a political attack, they were misleading the public,” he said.

This post was referring to Jose Raul Martinez-Alvarado of Honduras, who was arrested and charged in New Bedford with five counts of possessing guns and ammunition without a license and one count of resisting arrest. 

“I have not gone out of my way to learn anything exceptional about this person because there’s nothing special about this,” said Heroux. “What the issue that I had was not with the individual, but it’s the way ICE tried to intimidate or bully me and this organization into breaking state and federal law.”

Heroux pointed out that once bail is posted, the House of Corrections cannot hold a prisoner under law Lunn v. Commonwealth. This stated that once bail is posted, an inmate cannot be held. Further, the 14th Amendment states all persons are subject to all laws, regardless of citizenship status. 

Heroux said that he doesn’t determine whether an inmate can be released, but a judge decides and sets an appropriate bail. 

Bail was set at $1,500 for Martinez-Alvarado, which he fully paid by Tuesday, June 9.

He stated that ICE can request a detainer, which is a request that the House of Corrections notify them when someone who is in the United States illegally has been bailed out. 

Unless they have a 287(g) contract, which allows local law enforcement officers to perform immigration functions, the detainer is nothing beyond a request. 

This was decided by Arizona v. United States in 2012, that local or state sheriffs and police do not have the authority or jurisdiction to enforce federal immigration laws. 

“They have a legitimate mandate, but the way they do their job is unhinged,” said Heroux. 

This was further agreed upon by Attorney General Pam Bondi during a meeting with Massachusetts’ 14 county sheriffs in March 2025. 

“She said to us, quote “You are bound by state law,’” said Heroux. 

Only one jail in the state of Massachusetts has a 287(g) contract with ICE, which is in Plymouth County. Plymouth has filed a Habeas Corpus and a Speedy Trial request due to the nature of Martinez-Alvarado’s citizenship. 

If Heroux were to cooperate and volunteer information to ICE, Bristol County could be at risk of being named as a co-defendant in a lawsuit. 

This happened back in October 2025, when detainees sued the House of Corrections for $10 million for mistreatment while in holding. The state refused to help as this was a federal matter with ICE, and the Department of Homeland Security refused aid as this was a county matter. 

“The federal government has shown us DHS and ICE to not be a good law enforcement partner,” said Heroux. 

He stated he feels that it is more important that a criminal stay in the country and serve time than be deported and the victims not get justice. 

“All you did was address their civil violation, you didn’t actually address the crime they did,” said Heroux. 

He did state that should state law change and require jails to share information with ICE, he will follow the law. He will share public records with them, just as he would any other public record request.

When it comes to ICE taking retaliatory action against jails that don’t cooperate, Heroux noted that  90% of those cases were won by the jails since President Donald Trump started his second term. 

“I welcome ICE suing us,” said Heroux, “We will win this 10 out of 10 times. There’s no scenario where we lose this argument. ICE is wrong.”

He added, “They are on the wrong side of history.”